Target selection

Target selection is the process by which axons (nerve fibres) selectively target other cells for synapse formation. Synapses are structures which enable electrical or chemical signals to pass between nerves. While the mechanisms governing target specificity remain incompletely understood, it has been shown in many organisms that a combination of genetic and activity-based mechanisms govern initial target selection and refinement. The process of target selection has multiple steps that include axon pathfinding when neurons extend processes to specific regions, cellular target selection when neurons choose appropriate partners in a target region from a multitude of potential partners, and subcellular target selection where axons often target particular regions of a partner neuron.

Target selection is the process by which axons (nerve fibres) selectively target other cells for synapse formation. Synapses are structures which enable electrical or chemical signals to pass between nerves. While the mechanisms governing target specificity remain incompletely understood, it has been shown in many organisms that a combination of genetic and activity-based mechanisms govern initial target selection and refinement. The process of target selection has multiple steps that include axon pathfinding when neurons extend processes to specific regions, cellular target selection when neurons choose appropriate partners in a target region from a multitude of potential partners, and subcellular target selection where axons often target particular regions of a partner neuron. ==Description== As bundled axons finish navigating through various neural circuits during neural development, the growth cones must selectively target with which cells it will synapse. This can be particularly well observed in the visual and olfactory systems of organisms. In order to develop into a properly functioning nervous system, there must be an extremely high degree of accuracy in which cell the growth cone forms neural connections. Although the target cell selection must be highly accurate, the degree of specificity that the neural connectivity achieves varies based on the neuronal circuitry system. The target selection process of an axon to develop synaptic connections with specific cells can be broken down into multiple stages that are not necessarily confined to exact chronological order. The stages of targeting include: region specification target cell specification subcellular specification synaptic refinement

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